A Father's Worry

After Five Consecutive Strikes, the effect of the Blessing of Tirion Fordring was triggered. A Magic Blade manifested from the void, slicing a small nick into Tirion's gauntlet, though it still failed to actually harm him. It could only be said that a Paladin's defense and damage reduction were simply too high. Currently, the only thing Taelan could use to deal damage to Tirion was the true damage of Retribution. At this moment, Tirion had just recovered from his daze. He smiled and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, then tossed aside his sliced-up shield.

Tirion Fordring said with gratification, "Son, you won this time! That attack just now was truly excellent! But you must still use it cautiously! I imagine your hand is already injured, isn't it?"

Taelan Fordring sheathed his weapon and replied, "Yes, using it in actual combat is a different matter entirely compared to training."

Tirion Fordring said, "That is because you are still young; your body has not fully matured and lacks sufficient toughness. Once you undergo the Baptism, your physical constitution will see a major improvement. I believe you will be able to truly master it then. That kind of high-speed continuous slashing, combined with a good sword, will become your signature move. By the way, what do you call it?"

"I call it Zeal."

"Five strikes in an instant—that is truly fitting!"

At this point, Karandra and Solarian both walked over. Karandra remarked, "As expected of my son! Far better than your father!"

Tirion Fordring: ...

Solarian was also astonished by Taelan's new ability. If she wasn't mistaken, that was not the effect of a Warrior's rage, but an entirely new, exclusive skill. He had reinforced his body with the Holy Light to be able to execute such continuous, high-speed strikes.

Soon, everyone sat at the dining table. Tirion Fordring said, "I have already received a letter from Daelin. Tomorrow, he will bring his wife and daughter to Hearthglen to visit us. Then, the day after, we will head to Caer Darrow for a vacation! I am truly looking forward to it!"

Karandra said with a beaming face, "Is little Jaina coming too? I heard she is a good friend of Taelan's?"

Before Taelan could respond, Tirion added, "Yes. That girl is particularly fond of Taelan; it's practically written all over her face."

"Father, don't talk nonsense. How old are we? How can you call it 'fond'? She is just too lonely."

"That girl is exceptionally beautiful, isn't she?"

At this, Solarian chimed in, "Yes, very beautiful. She and Janice from the Barov family are the two prettiest girls I have ever seen in Dalaran!"

"And it is said that Jaina is highly gifted. The mage Antonidas is currently evaluating her and will likely take her on as his student!"

Grand Astromancer! Are you really this gossipy? Have you thought about whether you've been working hard these past few years? Have you been practicing your magic diligently? Has your salary increased?

Karandra seemed very happy. In truth, Hearthglen was a rather remote place, and the people who usually visited were mostly colleagues from the Silver Hand.

Karandra was mostly familiar with the wives and children of those officers—for instance, old Mograine and his sons Renault and Dalian, Sally Whitemane, the daughter of the High Inquisitor, and Bridget, the daughter of General Abbendis. When Tirion was with them, it was all about drinking and chatting about war and the military. Those young masters and misses would quickly turn any gathering into a chaotic mess!

Especially when Sally Whitemane came to find Taelan, Taelan and Renault would soon end up fighting! Then Bridget and Sally would stand on the sidelines watching the two boys duel! As for Dalian, he always felt his older brother was prone to inexplicable fits of rage! Fighting Taelan, who was three years his junior, was always his own fault, and he lost every single time.

After Tirion Fordring returned home last time, he had vividly recounted the story of his son and Jaina, which made Karandra very interested in the little girl.

In reality, Jaina was a little beauty even as a child. Well-educated, her personality was gentle and lovely. Because she had to study Thalassian in advance, she read quite a lot of books, giving her a very quiet and refined temperament. If not for the change in the trajectory of her life, she might have lived out a perfect life just like that.

Unfortunately, disaster changed everything. Pampered by her parents, she was lonely from a young age. As she grew up, she faced the abandonment of her lover and the tragic death of her mentor. The choices between life and death, the yearning for peace, the death of her father, and the betrayal of allies left her covered in scars. When she witnessed her little apprentice Kinndy Spark turn into Arcane dust and vanish before her eyes, and the Archmage Rhonin chose to sacrifice himself to leave the hope of life to her, watching Kinndy's father light the lamps of Dalaran one by one, her temperament finally changed completely, and she became a harbinger of war.

Facing her, Taelan felt lost. He wanted to get close to her and change the tragedies in her destiny, yet he also wanted to stay away, fearing that by changing things, she might lose those dazzling achievements!

No one could fully master fate; he could only do his best to provide her with other options when she needed help. Ultimately, it came down to the fact that he still lacked power.

At noon the next day, Grand Admiral Daelin visited Hearthglen with gifts. Karandra finally saw the little girl, Jaina!

She was wearing a blue dress today, topped with that wizard hat adorned with a bow. She wore a pair of small white leather shoes. A white belt was cinched around her slender waist, with a red Magic Pouch hanging from it.

She first greeted Tirion Fordring and his wife politely, then looked at Taelan with unconcealed impatience. Her eyes sparkled, clearly wanting Taelan to take her on a tour of Mardenholde Keep!

Tirion Fordring immediately responded to the little girl's request. Assuming the posture of the head of the household, he said to Taelan, "Son, take your friend to properly tour Mardenholde Castle. Introduce your friend to little Jaina! Bridget is also visiting Mardenholde Castle today. If she can complete this trial, she will be able to undergo the Baptism with you at the New Year."

Taelan Fordring agreed, exchanged pleasantries with Daelin and his wife, and then led Jaina out of the house. Katherine Proudmoore seemed to pay extra attention to Taelan Fordring. From the moment she entered, she had observed Taelan intently for a while. Later, she even specifically thanked him.

With her mother's permission, Jaina happily grabbed Taelan's hand, and the two walked out of the living room shoulder to shoulder.

Katherine Proudmoore watched the backs of the two children and said to Karandra, "Lady Karandra, I envy you! You have a good son! I can feel the powerful Holy Light energy contained within his body. He is like a little sun, attracting those around him to draw near."

Hearing Katherine's praise, Karandra modestly replied, "This child has always dreamed of becoming a Paladin. But I would rather he grow up without worries! I hope he marries and has children in the future, and doesn't spend his days fighting wars like his father."

Tirion Fordring shrugged helplessly. Daelin, meanwhile, poured himself a drink without standing on ceremony, downed it in one gulp, and said in his booming voice, "This son of yours is destined for greatness! Among the next generation of us old fellows, no one can surpass him. He not only possesses incredibly powerful Holy Light energy, but he also carries a unique temperament. He is far-sighted and capable of thinking about problems from different perspectives. He is a natural leader!"

"You must protect him carefully! Until the fledgling eagle can spread its wings and soar!"

Tirion Fordring did not respond to this topic, but instead said with concern, "I sparred with him yesterday. In these past two months, not only has he learned Thalassian, but he has also mastered Occultism. His personal, unique Holy Spell, the Holy Bolt, can already be controlled in its trajectory."

"And he has also created a particularly terrifying Holy Light ability. He injects the Holy Light into his body and weapon simultaneously, allowing him to unleash five strikes in an instant."

"I feel like you are bragging! This makes me very annoyed, Tirion!"

"It's not that! I feel he is excessively obsessed with power! And his Holy Light belongs solely to him, which makes him lack reverence for the Light! I truly worry that one day he will become so addicted to power that he won't be able to extricate himself! This is not a good thing!"

Hearing this, Daelin thought of his own son! Wasn't Derek the same? He had a sense of patriotism at such a young age. He liked to take charge, and when the most dangerous moment arrived, he was the one who stood up—and then that dragon breath struck him!

"Then you must teach him more, though I suspect he may already know more than you do!"

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